In 1935 Gladys Trammell (Masters) went to work for J.C. Penney’s. She had come home from college to spend the summer when Mr. Dave D. Turner, the manager at this time, offered her a job. She was single and thrilled with the 40 cents an hour she was paid twice a month. This is not much in today’s world, but was during the 30’s and 40’s. She was a "country girl" and appreciated having a job.
She cannot remember the exact time Penney’s opened, but thinks that it was in the late ’20’s. She worked full time until 1942 and then part time after her daughter was born. She remembers that Penney’s was a very nice store and Mr. Turner a very nice manager. He was honest and upright. He and his wife, Ruby, did not have any children. Ruby taught school at Westview. Mr. Turner was a good mixer. The farmers enjoyed coming into the store to visit and have a good time with him.
Gladys also worked part time for awhile when Harold Adling was the manager. He and his wife, Lois, had 2 boys, John and Bill. He was also very likeable and nice to work for.
Gladys especially remembers the Christmas parties hosted in the manager’s homes. It was at these parties the employees were given a Christmas bonus check.
The store was "cooled" with ceiling fans in the summer and a gas furnace in the winter. It was well established with linens, shoes, boots, nice ready to wear for men and women and children, hats for men and women, lingerie, fabric, and upholstery material. Cotton sack material was a popular item in the fall. Gladys remembers that they carried a nice cotton piece good for 39 cents a yard. They carried the Gaymode brand of hose which sold for 49 cents and went over big with the ladies.
She remembers that "back in those days" they sold sheeting in 72 inch 81 inch and 99 inch for a full bed. Sheeting came in a big round bolt and was called unbleached muslin. It was also available in bleached. "We country people went for the unbleached which gradually bleached out to be white". The clerks cut the muslin into appropriate lengths for each bed size. Penney’s had ready made sheets, but many women preferred to make their own sheets.
The first Sunday after Christmas each year the employees would take inventory. Everything was counted and recorded by hand.
There were several girls who worked in the office. Some that Gladys can remember are Sammy Davis (Horton), Ella Rue Guest, Billie Testerman, and June Allen. They were the bookkeepers and cashiers who would make change when the sales slip and money was sent upstairs in a metal cup. The change would then be sent back down and the clerks would count the change back to the customer.
Other ladies working as clerks during this time were, Lorene Morris, Linnie Brown, Tressie Curry, Beatrice Langford, Burnice Scruggs, Iva Burns, Dortha Walkup, Maggie Bilbrey and a Mrs. Taylor whose husband was a cotton buyer. Usually 3 ladies worked the front of the store. Besides selling they were responsible for marking, stocking and keeping their area in order.
Saturday was a big day for Hollis. After shopping and visiting, people would go home in the evening for supper and then come back for more shopping and visiting. Penney’s would stay open until 10:00 pm. Week days the store opened at 9:00 am and closed at 6:00 pm.
After one very busy Saturday, Mr. Turner asked Gladys if she knew someone who could work on Saturdays. She remembered Dortha Walkup who had been working for her father pulling cotton. Dortha was offered the job and made a wonderful clerk eventually working in many Hollis stores.
Gladys recalls that Mr. Penney was a fine man who was very concerned that his clerks know the merchandise and how to sell it. He would send two or three "customers" to each of his stores to check on the employees. They would come into the store unknown to the clerks and shop with each of them. At the close of the day, they would call to return the merchandise and bring the information gathered about each clerk. Mr. Penney carried on this routine because he wanted his clerks to be well read on the merchandise and good sales persons. The results of the "test" were never discussed with the employees as far as Gladys can remember. Occasionally store meetings were held in Altus and Childress.
When Penney’s closed, Gladys worked part-time at Anthony’s.
When the Turner’s left Hollis, they put in a store at Portales, New Mexico much like Penney’s stores. Mrs. Turner put in a dress shop next to this store. They later added another store at Clovis, New Mexico.
The J C PENNEY STORE in Hollis, OK was located at 210 West Broadway. Currently the home of Hollis Flowers & Gifts.
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ABOUT J C PENNEY
In 1902 and a 27 year old man arrived by train in Kemmerer, Wyoming to start a new business. He couldn't afford the train fare twice, so he made a committment in dollars before seeing the town. A scattered mining community, Kemmerer had about one thousand residents, a company store that operated on credit and 21 saloons where a good deal of spare cash was spent.
Two revolutionary ideas - cash only and do unto others as you would have them do unto you - were the basis for James Cash Penney's new business venture. (The middle name is a family name, not chosen to express his retail philosophy). He named the store the Golden Rule.
The idea was to make money and build business through serving the community with fair dealing and honest value, and do business cash-and-carry."
"When the sun rose over Kemmerer, Wyoming, April 14, 1902, it gilded a sign reading GOLDEN RULE STORE. The firm name was Johnson, Callahan and Penney, but it was used only for bookkeeping purposes. The sign on the store was much more than a trade name. They took the slogan "Golden Rule Store" with strict literalness.
During 1911 and 1912 twenty stores were added, bringing the total number of Golden Rule Stores to thirty-four. So it was Kemmerer, Wyoming, that gave Mr. James Cash Penney his start in business, and in 1913 the decision was made to change the Golden Rule Store to the J.C. Penney Company. The mother store is still a thriving business in Kemmerer.
The Penney's first home was restored in 1982 and moved to Penney Avenue on the Triangle, where it is now a museum operated by the J.C. Penney Foundation. The six room cottage is a National Historic Landmark. It is open during the spring and summer. Mr. Penney's home and the "mother store" are "must" photographs for thousands of tourists each year."
More about J C Penney......Boyhood to Merchant
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